Printers such as ink-jet printers employ printing elements which require periodic removal and replacement. In the case of ink-jet printers, the printing elements include nozzle arrays typically mounted on pens or print cartridges, and can require periodic replacement as the nozzle array wears out, becomes clogged, or when an internal ink supply becomes exhausted.
In the past, the user has manually inserted and removed the ink-jet pens or print cartridges into receptacles on the printer, e.g. on a traversing carriage. This in turn requires that the receptacles be readily accessible to the user, typically by lifting a cover to gain access. User access becomes problematic for some printers, and so it would be advantageous to provide a solution to the problem of removing and replacing ink-jet pens, print cartridges or other printing elements in a printer in which the user does not have ready access to the receptacle in which the printing element is mounted during printing operations.